An Angel's Tale
by AzureSpider
Summary: The saga of my Marvel Universe's version of Warren Worthington, from a young teenager and founding member of the X-Men to Avenging Angel to Herald of Apocalypse to the Fallen to the reborn Archangel. Expect elements taken from 616, the Ultimate Marvel Universe, the shows, and the movies. Please read and review.
1. Cherub

**Author's Note: This story is meant to show the life of my Marvel Universe (Earth 763)'s version of Warren Worthington, AKA Angel. Odd choice I know, but still. Angel's got a good story arc, and I wanted to do my take on it. Expect some serious nods to the character's 616 history but with some differences thrown in to make things interesting. I hope you all enjoy my story!**

Part 1: Cherub

Warren Worthington III stared out at the mansion-sized building where he would be living for the foreseeable future with silent awe. It was at least as big as his parent's house, so on that level it was not too unfamiliar, but it was still impressive-looking all the same. Nevertheless, Warren did a feel a sense of uncertainty in the pit of his stomach as he approached the gates with his belongings in hand and under his arms. It was almost akin to the feeling one had when it was their first day of school, only Warren knew that this was far more than just a first day of school. This was the first day of school mixed with moving, and he would be moving in without his parents.

His parents. Warren shot a look over to them. His father was a gaunt and haggard man with graying hair and lines on his face but nevertheless was smiling supportively at his son. His mother did the same, silently urging Warren to go up to the door and knock. Warren hesitated at first, his cheeks flushing red and his heart racing, but finally he managed to muster courage enough to slowly advance. Setting down one of his bags, Warren nervously knocked on the doors.

They were opened by a pretty redheaded girl about Warren's age who smiled at him.

"Hello. You're Warren Worthington right?"

Warren nodded meekly, his cheeks now redder still. "I'm Jean Grey. Welcome to the Xavier Institute. Come on in, I'll tell the Professor and Scott that you're here. Hank can help you with your bags"

Warren nodded wordlessly and then walked in, shooting back one last look at his parents. He knew he wouldn't be seeing them again for a while, and so he waved good-bye to them. His parents waved back and his mother blew him a kiss. His confidence bolstered a little bit more by this, Warren turned around and waited for Hank to show up.

Eventually a bigger man with blue fur and hair walked up to Warren, his unusual appearance causing his jaw to fall open in shock. Taking a few cautious steps back, Warren's bulging eyes took in the man's bizarre appearance for a few moments before he spoke in a surprisingly sophisticated and gentlemanly sounding voice: "No need to be alarmed Mr. Worthington. I can assure you I am quite human. Every bit as you and Miss Grey are"

"Are…are you Hank?" Warren asked nervously.

"Yes. I am Hank McCoy. I am a student here at the Xavier Institute along with Miss Grey and Mr. Summers"

"You mean…there's only three of you here?"

Hank nodded. "Yes, until you arrived that is. Now there are four of us. The Professor's planning to admit more students eventually, but we're starting small for now. Things are very hard for people like us right now, so we need to be careful. We can't attract unwanted attention to ourselves"

"Right…unwanted attention…" Warren muttered, remembering when he and his parents had first discovered his wings. It had been around Warren's thirteenth birthday when his back been feeling incredibly sore for weeks on end as if a car had rammed into his back at full speed and there was an eternal bruise stamped onto his back afterwards. It hurt just to sleep on his back, so he slept on his stomach instead. No one could understand what was wrong with him, and for a time his father just dismissed it as young Warren making up stories.

And then, one day, while getting out of bed, young Warren Worthington saw that there were white feathers in his bed.

At first thinking that a bird had gotten into his room, Warren had searched every inch of his room and checked all of the windows to see if they were open. None of them were, and Warren found no bird in his room. Then he saw that more feathers had ended up on the floor of his room.

Fear had flooded his body, and Warren rushed into the bathroom. Looking at his back in the mirror, he saw what had happened to him. Warren had screamed so loudly he had woken his parents, who rushed into the bathroom and discovered what had happened to their son.

"_Oh my God! There are wings growing out of his back!"_

"_I can see that!" Warren's father growled. "Why are they there?"_

"_Daddy what's happening to me?" Warren had asked. His father didn't answer him._

"_Honey we need to get them off of him!"_

"_We can't just waltz into a hospital with him, they won't know what to do!"_

"_We can't just sit here and do nothing either!" Warren's mother snapped._

"_Calm down" Warren's father said. "We'll figure something out"_

"_Daddy, what's happening to me?" Warren had asked again, now on the verge of tears. _

"_I don't know son…" Warren's father had said, hugging him tightly. "I don't know…"_

"Uh, Mr. Worthington?"

Hank's words brought Warren back to the present. "Oh, yeah, sorry Hank. I…I was just remembering when my…my…wings first came"

"Wings? So that's your mutant power? Curious. Mine is, as you can see, my current physical form coupled with an increase in physical attributes. I wonder if others have acquired similar animal-like abilities as their powers?"

"How many of…"us" are there, out there?" Warren asked curiously.

"If only we knew the answer to that" Hank said. "There could be only two dozen or as many as two thousand. We don't know. What we _**do **_know is that more and more of us seem to be showing up every day and its causing quite the fuss out there in the world. That's why the professor built this school. For people like you, me, Jean, and Scott. It's a place where we can learn how to use our powers responsibly and for the betterment of society. To peacefully coexist with those who don't have the powers we do"

"Sounds like quite the dream"

Hank nodded. "It is. But so were the dreams of great men like Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr. And they all made great progress in their lifetimes. I believe that the professor can do the same"

The conversation was interrupted by Jean's return, and this time she was accompanied by two men, one a boy not much older looking than Warren with ruby red sunglasses over his eyes and messy brown hair, and the other a much older man in a suit who was confined to a wheelchair and didn't have a single hair on his head. He smiled warmly at Warren upon seeing him.

"You must be Warren Worthington. Welcome to the Xavier Institute. You will be safe here from the unfortunate chaos in the outside world concerning our existence"

"_Our _existence? By that you mean us people with…powers?"

Professor Xavier nodded. "Yes. We are Mutants Warren Worthington. The next step in our species evolution. Unfortunately the human race's initial reactions to us are far from welcoming. So until such a time when humanity accepts us, we must take some measures to look after one another. That is why I created this school. For people like you and your three peers here" Xavier gestured to Hank, Jean, and the boy with the red glasses.

"You've already met Jean Grey and Hank McCoy. This young man is Scott Summers. He was the first child I found and brought here"

"Nice to meet you all, really." Warren said awkwardly. "I just…I just don't like that I have to hide here I guess. Like I'm some kind of monster"

"None of us like hiding from the world" Scott Summers said. "But the world's not ready for us yet. It will be one day if the Professor has anything to say about it. But for now, we have to stay here."

"Don't worry" Jean said. "We'll make you feel welcome here."

Warren nodded and smiled. "Thanks."

-X-

The first few days were the most awkward of all. Warren would wake up expecting to do things the way he did back home only to have to remind himself that he wasn't home anymore. He was someplace else now, a place he had to stay at until the world became ready to accept people like him. And with only four other people sharing one big mansion with him, Warren felt lonely. But at least the others made good on Jean Grey's promise to make him feel welcome. After about a week Warren was able to figure out where each of his fellows spent most of their time. Hank preferred the solitude and peace of his lab, Scott was usually training in the gym, and Jean was often with either Scott or the Professor. And all of them would frequently watch the news regarding what was dubbed "The Mutant Crisis" on television.

"_Chaos is spreading around the globe as more and more cases of teenagers developing unusual abilities and physical characteristics are popping up. Scientists are baffled as to how this is happening, and stress that the terms "mutant" and "mutation" are inaccurate, and that this is something entirely different. What exactly is yet unknown, but ideas range from the next step in human evolution, as suggested by Professor Charles Xavier, some type of disease, or, according to many evangelical groups a sign of Armageddon. Whatever the truth, more and more of these "Mutants" are showing up every day, and violent responses to them have become commonplace."_

As the man on TV said this, everyone's expressions became very grim as they then saw images of large purple colored humanoid robots being assembled.

"_Calling for order, the President has authorized the creation of machines designed to control what has been officially dubbed "The Mutant Problem". These robots, known as "Sentinels" will be charged with containing dangerous mutants and also making sure that the ongoing violence doesn't escalate any further"_

"Unbelievable. They're making robots to hunt us down. I can't believe it…"

"They're scared Scott" Xavier said grimly. "They're only acting out of fear. And the Sentinels are not being made to kill us"

"Yeah, but this isn't much better. And who's to say that's not going to be the next thing on their agenda?"

"It won't be. Not as long as mutants like us continue to do our best to build bridges"

It was then that Warren spoke up: "Uh, Professor, I've been wondering: you keep saying we'll help make things better for us, but how are we going to do that?"

Xavier smiled as Warren asked this. "I'm glad you asked that Warren. My plan is to have you four be an example. Together as a team you will venture out into the world and both protect fellow mutants when they are in danger and also publicly promote peacefully coexistence between us and normal humans. You will become saviors and guardians to both groups"

"What, are you going to make us into superheroes or something?"

"As a matter of fact, that is exactly what I intend to do" Xavier said with a smile. "Fear not: I will train you all. Teach you how to use your powers properly, so that you do not end up doing more harm than good. I will construct aliases and costumes for you all, so that your identities need not be public knowledge. I will not send you into great danger until I am absolutely certain that you are all ready"

Warren nodded. "OK, that makes it sound a bit better I guess…but I still don't know…"

Scott walked forward and put a hand on Warren's shoulder. "I know its overwhelming Warren, but the other mutants out there _need _us. You saw what they're doing on the news: those Sentinels are not going to be protectors, they're going to be oppressors. The mutants of the world need heroes, same as everyone else. They need a guardian angel. You can be that guardian angel Warren"

"I…I don't know…"

"Give him time Scott." Hank said, intervening. "In any event none of us are going to be out and about in colorful costumes until after we've finished training"

"And how will we be doing that?" Warren asked.

The others smiled.

"With among other things a beautiful thing called The Danger Room"

**Author's Note: I know, I know, it's the origin/introduction and all that. Not the most fun or exciting chapter in the world but I did my best with what I had to work with. I hope you all enjoyed and stick around. I'll be showing off far more exciting stuff come next chapter!**

**And yes, its worth mentioning that the term "mutant" isn't really the best to use for the X-Men and their little corner of the Marvel Universe, as mutations pertain to small anomalies in a person's genetic code and doesn't really pertain to evolution. That would be more natural selection. **


	2. Avenging Angel

X-Men: An Angel's Tale

Part 2: Avenging Angel

"Look out Angel!" Scott shouted as Warren narrowly dodged a laser-blast that came only inches away from one of his wings. Warren could smell the burning scent of the laser fill his nostrils but ignored it and continued his flight, dodging more of the Danger Room's various traps and training drones as he did. Another ceiling-mounted laser took aim at Warren, only to be frozen in ice. A single punch from Warren took it out.

"Thanks Bobby, I owe you one!"

Bobby Drake had been the fifth student recruited to the Xavier Institute, and he and Warren had become friends almost immediately. It helped that they were in the same boat of being the newest additions to the school and were both still adjusting to their new lives at the mansion.

"Maintain your focus at all times!" Scott shouted as he expertly dodged, rolled, and flipped to avoid everything the Danger Room threw at him. It never ceased to amaze Warren how much Scott was able to navigate the Danger Room with so much ease, as if he had lived there all his life and knew it all down to the last wire.

Scott let loose with one of his optic blasts, which were his mutant power. A powerful torrent of bright red energy spewed out of the ruby visor he wore over his eyes and went right into several of the Danger Room's more dangerous robots. The optic blast shredded through them all like they were tissue paper.

Warren looked to one side. Hank was tearing into other machines with an animalistic fury that betrayed the loquacious intellectual he was outside of the Danger Room while Jean used her telekinetic powers to toss other machines around. And of course Bobby was just freezing everything in sight.

Truth be told Warren couldn't help but feel a tad useless every time he watched his four peers use their powers to decimate the Danger Room's automotans and turrets. While Warren was more and more learning how to use his flying abilities to avoid being hit, he had little to offer in terms of offensive capability, given that he lacked any type of ranged attack like Scott and Bobby, anything fancy like Jean's telekinesis and telepathy, or even super strength like the kind Hank possessed.

_What good am I going to be helping mutants if I can't fight? _Warren thought as he narrowly dodged another laser-blast.

It wasn't long before the five mutant teens conquered the Danger Room once again, with Hank decapitating the last robot with one swipe of his claws. As its headless body hit the floor with a loud clang, Scott held up a hand.

"Alright, looks like that its for today. Nice job everyone, you've all pulled through"

"Thanks Scott" Warren said, landing. "…but truth be told you seemed to be doing the most heavy lifting"

Scott shrugged. "Lead by example."

"I suppose"

Then the voice of Professor Xavier was heard inside the heads of all five of the young mutants, something Warren still hadn't fully adjusted to. It felt truly bizarre to "hear" someone else inside of him, as if he wasn't in control of his own body anymore.

_Well done my X-Men. You've all been making incredible progress. I believe that you will all soon be ready to face the dangers of the world, and to become protectors of your fellow Mutants as I've always intended._

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Professor" Scott said before adding: "I think the X-Men are ready to take down those robot fascists running wild out there"

"Don't judge them too harshly Scott" Hank said. "They're acting out of fear. And besides, the Sentinels haven't killed any mutants yet. The Professor wants us to protect mutants, not wage war with humanity"

"I know that Hank. But those machines out there are not any mutant's friends. They're the enemy. No mutant's safe while those things are around"

Bobby turned to Warren: "Do you still get the whillies whenever the professor talks to you in your head?"

Warren nodded. "Oh yes. It still makes my skin crawl sometimes. But you do get used to it…eventually. Its kind of a gradual thing, at least that's what Scott says."

"Nothing seems to faze that guy"

"I wouldn't be too sure of that" Warren whispered back. "He always seems to be a bit less tense whenever Jean's around. That, or he gets _more _tense"

Bobby snickered in response to this.

"…I'm just saying it's a slippery slope. One minute their "peacekeepers" the next they're robot police, and the next…"

"Are you always this pessimistic?" Warren asked, interjecting.

"Someone has to expect the worst" Scott said. "Figured it can be. That way you can all stay optimistic while I prepare for when or if things go to hell"

"_Anyway_" Jean said, moving in to pacify the situation. "I think we've all earned some R&R."

"Yes, I agree. We've been training hard for about a week now. We could all use a break"

"Great. Well, if you guys need me, I'm going to be outside the mansion same as always" And as Warren said this he left his teammates behind, taking to the skies the second he was outside. Warren had had to fight hard to convince the good Professor to let him fly outside of the mansion, but Xavier agreed that it was best for Warren if he wasn't always indoors. He needed to exercise his wings in more than just the Danger Room. And besides, flying was one of the only things that he really enjoyed doing. Life at the X-Mansion could be a bit of a bore sometimes.

As Warren turned and spiraled through the air, allowing the wind to smash into his face, he felt himself loosen up and become less tense. He felt almost like a bird being let out of its cage whenever he went out to fly. But as he continued to circle the area around the mansion, he heard Bobby call out to him: "Hey Warren! Come down for a minute! I wanna show you something!"

Choosing to humor Bobby, Warren flew down to the grassy ground and walked over to Bobby. "What is it?"

"I found a way to freeze grass. As in, make it go all cold without just creating a layer of ice over it"

"And…that's what you wanted me to see?"

"Just watch" Bobby placed a single finger down on the grass and in mere moments the surrounding patch of green became bluish white and then gray and then black. "Don't you see? This means I'm getting a greater amount of control over my powers, just like the Professor said I would"

"Well, I'm happy for you I guess, but I don't think killing grass is much to brag about"

"Just you wait Warren" Bobby promised. "One day, I'll be able to freeze the air itself. The Professor and Hank say I'm an "Omega-Level Mutant" or something like that. Or rather, that I _will_ be once I fully master my powers"

"So you have something to look forward to. That's more than I can say for myself. I don't think these wings are ever going to get any different from what they are. Not that I don't like my wings mind you but I'm just saying. Your powers will grow stronger, and so will Jeans. Me? These wings are going to stay the same forever"

"Who knows?" Bobby said in a reassuring tone. "You might molt"

"Ha ha."

The two's banter was interrupted by Professor Xavier, who spoke to both via his telepathy: "_Attention my students. Meet me in my study. There is something I must tell you all"_

Making their way to Professor Xavier's study, Warren and Bobby found Scott, Hank, and Jean already there waiting for them. Once Warren and Bobby arrived, Xavier turned to face them all.

"You have all made considerable progress of late, and I'm proud at how far you've all come in so short a period of time. I believe that the time is soon coming when you will be ready to go out into the world as my X-Men"

"That's great news Professor, but somehow I doubt you called us all in here just to tell us that"

Professor Xavier shook his head. "No, not at all Bobby. I called you all in here for another reason: an old friend of mine named Doctor Karl Lykos is going to be coming here tomorrow. He's a researcher in both genetics and paleontology, and his next trip will take him to a place that I believe will serve as a good first mission for you all"

"And…where exactly is this place Professor?" Jean Grey asked.

"It doesn't have an official name because most people don't know it exists" Xavier explained. "According to Doctor Lykos, the natives call it "The Savage Land"

"The Savage Land?" Iceman repeated. "Doesn't sound too inviting"

"Wait, you said there were natives on that island?" Scott asked.

Xavier nodded. "Yes. Somehow there is a small hunter-gatherer civilization on that island, completely isolated from the rest of the world. And as I've already said, there are very few people who know it exists. Doctor Lykos and I are two such individuals. And we agree that the world isn't ready to know about the Savage Land just yet. It is better to keep it a secret for now"

"So what are we supposed to be doing there professor?" Warren asked.

"Your mission will be to accompany Doctor Lykos and provide protection if necessary. However as you are still training try to avoid needless battles. Doctor Lykos assures me that if all goes well there will be no need to put yourselves at risk"

"Then what's the point of sending us?" Warren asked.

Xavier smiled. "One can never be too sure Warren"

-X-

"I must say it's a pleasure to meet you all" Doctor Lykos greeted pleasantly. The good doctor was a fairly tall and lanky fellow, with a scrawny build and spectacles over the eyes. He looked very bit the stereotypical science nerd, only older. Truth be told Warren found his appearance almost comical.

"The feeling is mutual Doctor Lykos" Jean Grey said pleasantly. "Any friend of the Professors is a friend of ours."

"Glad to hear it. I'm looking forward to having you all accompany me on my next trip to the Savage Land"

"If I may ask Doctor Lykos, what exactly are you planning on doing in the Savage Land?" Scott Summers asked.

"Oh, a few things actually. First and foremost I'm collecting fossil samples and dinosaur remains to study. I want to see how these creatures have evolved on the island you see"

"Did you say dinosaur remains?" Hank McCoy asked. "Dinosaurs exist on this island?"

Doctor Lykos nodded. "Sure do. Had a few run-ins and close encounters with them actually. Not fun."

"So…this island has dinosaurs on it?" Bobby Drake asked. "That's kind of cool I guess. So long as we don't become the next thing on the menu"

"Oh you won't be, I assure you. I'm not going to ask you to go into a nest of carnivores or anything of the sort. No, no, I've carefully selected a few locations where large predators won't be an issue. Anything we do risk running into I am confident that you five will be able to handle based on what Xavier has told me about you"

"Well its nice that you have so much confidence in our abilities, but I'm still skeptical personally" Warren said.

"We're going to have to face the world sooner or later Warren" Scott said. "It should be sooner"

Warren shrugged. "Can't argue with that I guess. When do we leave?"

Doctor Lykos smiled. "As soon as possible"

"And incidentally, I believe its time show you all the Blackbird"

"What's a blackbird?"

-X-

A sleek black jet zipped through the air like a large ebony arrow, sending the water below to fly to the sides as it zoomed overhead. The vehicle continued to rocket forward towards its destination, as within the six passengers enjoyed the ride.

"This. Is. Awesome!" Bobby said with glee.

"I gotta agree with Bobby on this one" Warren said, "this is by far the coolest jet I've ever see. Beats my dad's anyday. And I even like the color"

"It came in any color we wanted so long as it was black" Hank said in a deadpan. "It cost the Professor a small fortune to make. How he managed it I still don't know"

"Which reminds me," Warren said. "How has the Professor afforded everything? I mean not just the mansion but the Danger Room, the costumes, this jet…he's gotta be almost as rich as my parents"

"I have no idea" Hank shrugged. "My best guesses are that either the good professor has a hidden fortune somewhere, or he's got friends in high places"

The conversation was interrupted by the sight of an island off in the distance, on the horizon, a sight that rapidly become larger and larger as the jet continued to fly ever closer to the island.

"Welcome to the Savage Land" Doctor Lykos said happily.

Mere moments after Doctor Lykos said this did the Blackbird finally arrive at the island, where its full scope and the things it had to offer became readily apparent. All five of the young mutants stared out at the lush, never-ending jungle in silent awe, wowed by the incredible sight of both the island and also its inhabitants. Off in the distance pterodactyls flew through the air, and large hulking forms that the X-Men recognized as dinosaurs wandered through the jungle. That they were seeing living breathing specimens of species that were supposed to be 65 million years extinct was simply incredible.

"Remarkable isn't it?" Doctor Lykos asked the young X-Men. "I know I was speechless when I first saw this place too. To see real living creatures from the Cretaceous Period, the Ice Age, and more…not to mention the ways in which these remarkable creatures have evolved! Its all so fascinating…at least to me. Oh, the time I would spend here if not for the uhm…hazards"

"Yeah, about that: what kind of hazards are talking about here specifically?" Angel asked, wanting to know what kind of oversized reptiles he was going to have to be on the lookout for.

"The dinosaurs on this island have had millions of years to evolve. Fortunately the limited size of the island means that none of the predators have evolved to become too powerful otherwise they'd run out of food. Unfortunately though they're still quite dangerous and also far, far, more intelligent than their Cretaceous-era ancestors. So we'll have to be cautious. Particularly if any of the Imperatorsaurus show up"

"The what?"

"Imperatorsaurus. It's the name I've given the descendant of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Its name translates roughly to "Emperor Lizard". There's also the Diabolsaurus, which is "Devil Lizard". Nasty creatures. They travel in packs and will attack anything in sight. And there's also the mammals…"

"You know what? I've decided I don't want to know anymore"

"Don't worry, I've been very careful about picking a location for my research. The Diabolsaurus never go near it."

"And what about T-Rex's cousin?" Iceman asked.

"Unlikely. There's no big prey in that area. Only smaller creatures"

As Doctor Lykos said this, the Blackbird at last landed at the location designated by Doctor Lykos. The good doctor was the first out of the Blackbird, followed by the five X-Men.

"We're here at last. Let's get started."

**Author's Note: Really sorry that it took so long to upload this chapter but the accursed writer's block plus having a bunch of other stuff on my plate resulted in a crazy long delay. But at long last, here's the chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Don't worry, Chapter 3 will be coming soon and will also have some much-needed action.**

**And for the record, the uniforms the X-Men founders wear here are the outfits the X-Men wore in the **_**First Class **_**movie.**


	3. Elohim

X-Men: An Angel's Tale

Part 3: Elohim

Angel always felt a great rush of exhilaration whenever he took to the air, but this time when he did it here in the Savage Land felt particularly special. Maybe it was the warm air, maybe it was the sight of seeing the beautiful sea of foliage from a birds eye view, maybe it was the reptilian company, or perhaps most likely it was a combination of the three. Regardless, Angel thoroughly enjoyed getting to soar through the air above the Savage Land, but made sure to steer clear of the pterodactyls.

_Wouldn't want to get reptile rabies _Angel joked to himself.

"Don't go too far Angel" Cyclops ordered. "The island's bigger than it looks and I don't want you getting lost"

"Yeah, wouldn't want to see you get eaten by a dinosaur" Iceman quipped before adding: "Man, this place is hot. Hope I don't turn into a puddle"

The trek through the Savage Land saw the five X-Men getting to see what the island had to offer up close, not the least of which were several small dinosaurs running about, all of which invariably scattered when the X-Men and Doctor Lykos came near.

"There are still times when I can't get over how there are living, breathing dinosaurs still around" Doctor Lykos mentioned. "It's just so incredible."

"Well he's certainly made it clear he loves his work" Iceman said in a deadpan.

"Bobby!" Jean said. "Don't be rude"

The conversation was interrupted by the sight of two medium-sized bipedal dinosaurs with spindly legs and arms and long tails fighting over the carcass of another dinosaur. But then they took notice of the X-Men and decided that they would make for a better meal. Snarling and growling, the two carnivores readied themselves to attack. Angel could see Cyclops smile.

"X-Men, let's show em' what we're made of"

The two raptors surged toward the X-Men, only for one to be blasted back by Cyclops' optic blasts while the second was frozen in place by Iceman. No sooner did the other one recover did a mental suggestion from Telepath tell it to take a nap.

"No sport" Cyclops sniffed as the raptor entered a slumber. "The Danger Room gave us more trouble"

"Wait, so you actually _want _to be in danger Scott?" Jean asked.

"It's what we've been trained for Jean."

The trek through the jungle continued without any other attacks from the Savage Land's various wildlife, though as Angel continued to keep watch from the skies, he could see quite a few larger dinosaurs that he for one did not want to bother. Luckily said dinosaurs seemed content to meander about through the jungle without a care. And that allowed the X-Men and Doctor Lykos to continue onwards unmolested. Eventually, the group came to a clearing leading to a beachhead were several small dinosaurs were currently running about on the sandy terrain.

As Karl Lykos scanned the clearing, his eyes soon caught sight of a small, light green reptile with medium sized triangle-shaped wings attached to it's tiny body.

"Ah, excellent, a pterodactyl. The perfect specimen to observe and study…"

But as Karl Lykos began to take out his camera to observe the small winged reptile, the pterodactyl turned to face him, and its small eyes were glowing a bright yellow.

"Uh…do pterodactyl eyes normally look like that?" Angel asked nervously.

"No, they don't. Strange. I wonder what—"

But before Karl Lykos could finish his sentence, the pterodactyl suddenly flew at him. Before any of the X-Men could do a thing, the creature had already scratched and bit a terrified Doctor Lykos, who screamed in pain and dropped his camera. As he fell backwards Cyclops shot the pterodactyl down with an optic blast.

"Get him back to the Blackbird" Cyclops ordered.

-X-

As the Blackbird continued it's flight back home, Beast tended to Doctor Lykos as the others sat in their seats wondering whether or not the good doctor would be alright.

"All from one bite…"

"Several bites and scratches actually" Beast corrected as he took a break from tending to Doctor Lykos.

"How's he doing?" Angel asked.

"Not well" Beast replied. "He's been convulsing for a while now, and what medications I've tried to give him haven't been helping. His heart rate's spiking as well, but I don't think he's in danger of having a heart attack or anything of the sort, at least not yet. But we need to get him to an actual medical facility fast"

"We should be back home soon" Cyclops remarked.

-X-

Since coming back from their trip to the Savage Land, the X-Men took to looking themselves over and making sure that none of them had been severely injured or bitten by anything as Karl Lykos had been. Fortunately, the X-Men found that they were all clean, and no sooner did they return to the X-Mansion did they rush Doctor Lykos to the medical room where Beast continued his efforts to stabilize him. After a few hours, the now comatose doctor's vitals seemed to be doing well, and so Angel for his part was inclined to relax a little now that all the excitement was behind them. Or so he hoped.

-X-

When the transformation was completed, Doctor Karl Lykos was gone.

In his place was a large monster with skin the color of grass and a long beak shaped like the blade of a broadsword. Its head also featured an elongated crest and its hands and feet both ended in claws. It had a long spindly whip-like tail and most noticeable of all, large jade-colored wings that when extended in full were as big as a glider.

As the X-Men looked at Karl Lykos' new form in shock, the doctor himself also reeled in terror and revulsion at what he had transformed into.

"What…what I have I become?" His voice too had changed, no longer the high-pitched vocal inflections of Doctor Karl Lykos but now a deep and echoing voice that could not come from any normal human.

"Doctor Lykos you…you've changed…I think when you were bitten by that pterodactyl it did something to you…"

"No, no this shouldn't be possible…" Doctor Karl Lykos said horrified and panicking, "this shouldn't be happening! It can't be happening! I…"

"Doctor Lykos, try to stay calm." Jean said, holding up her hands. "I know it seems bad right now, but the Professor and Hank can help you. You just need to trust us…"

Lykos roared in pain and clutched his head, green claws digging into green skin as he shrieked and thrashed about wildly, sinking to his knees as he did so, as if a great weight were pressing down on him. Then when next he opened his eyes, they had changed again: now they were two golden-colored slits glowing with a faint aura. And the narrow slits then narrowed even more as he looked at each of the X-Men in turn. A deep, inhuman growl emerged from his mouth.

"I have returned…"

"Returned?"

"Doctor Lykos please, calm down. We're going to reach the Professor soon but you need to trust us. We're here to help you"

"LIES!" Lykos roared, springing to his feet and briefly extending his wings before retracting them and snarling again. "Lies from lesser beings who fear my power! You act as my friends but I know better! I have no friends! I am the ultimate power in this world! I am a Maiar! I am _**Sauron**__!_ And I shall burn Arda to ashes!"

And then with another roar, the now transformed Doctor Lykos spread out his wings once more and took off, flying towards and then through the ceiling, leaving a massive hole in the roof. Soon the large green pterodactyl monster Doctor Lykos had become was nothing more than a small jade blip in the sky.

"He's lost it" Bobby said bluntly and matter-of-factly.

"Like Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" Hank observed grimly.

"What the heck was he talking about anyway?" Jean Grey asked. "What's a Maiar?"

"It's a powerful immortal being from JRR Tolkein's _The Lord of the Rings_" Bobby explained. "They're basically his answer to angels. Sauron's the evil one who's trying to destroy the world…"

Everyone turned to look at Bobby like he had started speaking another language.

"…what? I…I like Lord of the Rings…what's wrong with that? I'm not the only one…"

"Anyway…" Scott said, taking charge as always, "I think its pretty clear that we can't allow Doctor Lykos to run wild in his current condition. Since he's the professor's friend and also tried to drain us like a vampire I think he's our responsibility."

"I'm not too sure the Professor would agree with that…" Jean said.

"We were going to be going into danger sooner or later" Scott pointed out. "This just means its gonna be sooner rather than later. Come on: I'm not going to just stand around while Doctor Lykos goes preying on people in an insane rampage to find sustenance."

"Looks like we get to go on our first mission after all…" Warren observed.

-X-

"I hope we can find Sauron amidst all the other reptiles running around…" Jean observed.

"He'll be the really big one ranting and raving" Iceman quipped. "He won't be hard to find"

"Now's not the time for jokes Bobby" Cyclops said. As the Blackbird closed in on the Savage Land, all of the X-Men kept their eyes peeled for any sign of the doctor turned reptilian monster. Once the jet touched down and the X-Men rushed out, Cyclops gave the order for the five to split up and go looking for Sauron in teams. Beast would monitor on the Blackbird while Cyclops and Telepath went in one direction and Iceman and Angel in another. As the two pairs rushed off in opposite directions, Angel took to the air to make sure Sauron didn't swoop in on them from behind.

"Any sign of Sauron yet?" Iceman asked as he and Angel continued to make their way through the dense undergrowth.

"Not yet, but I see some of those raptors Doctor Lykos mentioned nearby."

"I see them too" Iceman replied.

A deep, growling hiss tore through the air.

"…and I think they see us"

Out of the brush burst a large beast that looked like it had burst forth from _Jurassic Park. _Instinct kicking in, Iceman threw up his hands and shot out a gust of icy wind at the creature. The dinosaur snarled and backpedaled, and Iceman kept up the pressure, eventually managing to freeze it in place.

"Not bad for a first fight huh?" Iceman asked proudly, but Angel didn't respond, instead seeing the X-Men's quarry flying right at them.

"Bobby look out!" Angel shouted. Seeing that Iceman wasn't going to move fast enough, Angel rocketed forward and pushed him out of the way just as Sauron came at him. As a consequence Sauron rammed into Angel, soaring into the air with him in tow as Iceman looked on helplessly. Struggling against Sauron, Angel managed to kick him in the chest to get him to let go. Sauron flew at him again, and Angel was hard-pressed to avoid the slashes from Sauron's talons. Eventually Sauron managed to land a hit, shredding part of Angel's blue and yellow costume and sending him rocketing down to the ground from the impact of the attack.

_Come on Warren, don't let your friends down now_

Expanding his white wings in full, Angel recovered before he hit the ground and launched himself upwards at Sauron who came down to meet him with a screech of fury. Angel spun out of the way at the last minute, catching Sauron off-guard as he continued to rocket down. Changing directions rapidly, Angel blasted down after Sauron, who finally managed to regain control of himself and flew up to meet Angel. Using some quick aerial maneuvers, Angel avoided Sauron's next attack, the reptilian madman striking at nothing but thin air with his jade claws. Flying in again, Angel kicked Sauron in the chest with his feet as hard as he could, manging to knock the wind out of Sauron for a moment and giving Angel time to fly out of the way of Sauron's counterattack.

"_**Damn **_you Gwaihir!" Sauron roared as he flew at Angel again, who spun through the air to avoid him. "I will destroy you! I will destroy _all_ of the Eagles of Manwe!"

_Sure would be nice to have Bobby here to tell me what the hell this guy's talking about right now… _Angel mused as he continued to fly out of the way of Sauron's attacks. Seeing an opening, Angel punched Sauron in the beak, which prompted a howl of rage before Sauron tackled Angel, sending them both plummeting through the sky.

"The skies will burn in the flames of Udun! But you shall burn first Gwaihir!"

"I'll pass on that" Angel said through gritted teeth as he kneed Sauron in the stomach. Sauron squawked in pain and released his grip in Angel, allowing him to fly away. No sooner had he recovered did Sauron pursue his quarry, and Angel found himself struggling to outfly his reptilian counterpart. Soon Sauron was on top of him again.

Knowing he couldn't keep up the dance forever, Angel wracked his brain trying to find a way of beating Sauron, all the while continuing to avoid and evade his attacks. Turning back around, Angel decided to lead Sauron back to his teammates where he hoped that the five of them together could at last subdue Sauron.

Unfortunately, Sauron once again gained on Angel and eventually tackled him, causing both to plummet to the ground. Then it went from bad to worse.

As Sauron kept Angel pinned, his eyes began to glow with a sickly yellow light, eventually looking like two spots of bubbling poison. And as this happened, Angel felt himself tiring and growing weaker. Sauron's arms too began to glow, the veins pulsing and yellow. As his vitality left him Angel realized that Sauron was somehow draining him like a leech.

"You will be but the first to fall Gwaihir" Sauron vowed. "Once I regain the One Ring none shall be safe from me!"

Sauron's rant and draining of Angel were both interrupted when a blast of ice struck Sauron square in the chest, knocking him back and allowing Angel to force him off. Staggering to his feet, he saw Iceman rush to his side.

"Thanks Bobby, I owe you one" As Sauron recovered, Angel had an idea. "Bobby, try to freeze his wings, that'll ground him, make him vulnerable"

Nodding, Iceman outstretched both hands and unleashed a gust of frozen air and ice from each one, aimed at Sauron. Shrieking, Sauron took to the air, but was too late. Iceman's blizzard hit him, knocking him out of the air.

"Keep it up Bobby! You've got him!"

Nodding, Iceman pressed his attack, and soon Sauron was on his knees, left a shivering wreck unable to fly. Angel allowed himself a slight smile. "Let's finish this"

Flying at Sauron, Angel went at him with everything he had, hitting him again and again with his hardest punches while Sauron was still trying to recover from Iceman's attack. Soon the great pterodactyl was out cold, his body sprawled on the muddy ground.

"Holy crap…you actually took him down…"

"Yeah, but I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks Bobby"

Iceman smiled. "Hey, what are friends for right?"

As the two basked in their victory, their ears picked up the familiar sound of Beast's big feet and hands crunching down on grass, leaves, and branches followed by Telepath and Cyclops' arrival. Iceman and Angel turned to face them with big triumphant grins.

"What took you guys so long?"

-X-

Following Sauron's defeat, the five X-Men had Iceman freeze Sauron to keep him contained during the flight back to the Xavier Institute, all five of them hoping desperately that Professor X could find some kind of cure for the good doctor turned delusional beast.

During the flight, Angel felt it necessary to point out the elephant in the room: "Okay, so now that we've taken down our first real opponent, I was just wondering: which one of us is going to tell the professor exactly what happened?"

-X-

"I'm truly saddened by what happened to Karl." Xavier said after the X-Men had finished their report of the day's events. "He was a good friend and I'll miss him dearly. I'll be doing what I can to cure him, but in the meantime he needs to be contained for his own safety. Therefore I'll likely have no choice but to give him to SHIELD"

"What? You can't seriously think of handing him over to those government spooks" Cyclops protested. "We'll never see him again if you do that"

"They are the only people who can adequately contain Karl in his current condition. Besides, I trust their director. I believe that Karl will have the best chance there. Regarding his transformation itself, the accident that caused it just reinforces my belief that the Savage Land is too dangerous for the rest of the world to know about it just yet. I also don't think any of you should be returning anytime soon"

"You'll get no argument from us Professor" Scott said. "A few near-death experiences with rabid dinosaurs is more than enough. Besides, I want to be out there fighting for mutants like we were supposed to. With all due respect professor I think we've done well enough on this mission to warrant that"

"I agree" Xavier replied. "You all handled yourselves incredibly well and risked your lives to stop Sauron. That proves to me that you are now more than capable of handling yourselves out in the world. So from now on, you are what you have been trained to be: protectors of mutants everywhere. The best of luck to you all"

-X-

Nathaniel Essex was a scientist. Or rather, that's how he would put it. Indeed, he had many traits of a scientist. He sought to discover the greater truths of the universe. He sought to learn. He was willing to experiment. He was determined to make new discoveries and formulate new ideas. There was just one little thing Nathaniel Essex did not have. And that was a conscience.

So it was that when Nathaniel Essex saw what had been recorded of Sauron's battle with the X-Men and before that Doctor Lykos' transformation into the pterodactyl monster, he was more intrigued and fascinated than horrified at what his experiments on the Savage Land's creatures had inadvertently wrought.

_Incredible. One bite from one of my mutated pterodactyls caused a transformation like that. I must inform my master of this._

Walking over to a device with which he communicated with his master telepathically, Nathaniel Essex sat in the chair, activated the controls, and placed the distinctive silver helmet on his head. Sending out his telepathic signal, he waited for his master to receive it and reply. He didn't wait long.

"Why have you contacted me?" his master demanded angrily. "My time is not cheap"

"There was an unexpected development concerning one of my experiments. One of my test subjects in the Savage Land bit and transformed a normal human into a superhuman creature. I'm already making attempts to acquire him so I can study his body."

"And why have you chosen to waste my time with this news?" the figure demanded.

"Because if I figure out what specifically caused the transformation I can mass-produce it and refine it, and from that create for you an army of expendable soldiers"

The figure seemed to consider this for a brief moment before nodding in approval. "Very well Essex. Go forth with your plans and make me my army"

Nathaniel Essex smiled.

**Author's Note: Well, that's Chapter 3 done. Might go back and edit it later, not sure. I'll see what other people think.**

**First, I figure I should confirm what one could probably guess, namely that I like Sauron. I mean, he's a giant pterodactyl named after one of my favorite villains of all time. How can I not like him? And in case anyone missed any of the Tolkein references in this chapter:**

"**Arda" is the name of Tolkein's world. Middle-Earth is only part of it. Arda pertains to the whole planet.**

**Maiar, as Bobby explicitly pointed out in the story are more or less Tolkein's answer to angels, though they tend to be a bit more varied in nature. Sauron, Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, the Balrogs, and possibly the Dragons are all Maiar.**

**Gwaihir is a Giant Eagle, and the swiftest one. The Giant Eagles are the personal animal of Manwe, a Valar (hence Sauron's calling Gwaihir/Angel an "eagle of Manwe". Manwe is the leader of the Valar and the most pure one of the bunch. Think Zeus only nicer and not a philanderer. **

**And yes, Jean Grey's codename here is Telepath. Marvel Girl is a terrible name for her because it has nothing to do with telepathy, and just calling her "Jean Grey" doesn't make sense if everyone else has a codename but she doesn't. Thus I went with Telepath. Yeah, it's pretty on-the-nose, but hey, so is Angel.**


	4. Cupid

X-Men: An Angel's Tale

Part 4: Cupid

She was beautiful.

Warren Worthington had seen some pretty girls in his time, Jean Grey for one, but this woman who was among the group that had come to his rescue had a grace and elegance to her that he hadn't seen too many times before. Her skin was a light brown and smooth, like milk chocolate as Warren pleasantly realized, and her eyes matched his in both shape and color, with him looking at them being akin to looking at a reflection of his own blue orbs. But most distinctive of all was her hair, which was long, majestic, and most unusually, white as snow.

In all she took his breath away just by being in front of him. Catching himself staring, Warren averted his gaze. Considering that they were still in the belly of the beast, the last thing Warren wanted was to be distracted by a pretty face, even one as incredible as hers.

"Man, am I the only one noticing this writing?" Deadpool asked. "I mean come on: milk chocolate? What clichéd romance novel did he get _that_ one from?"

"Shut up and fight Wilson!" Omega Red snarled as he twirled his wrist-cables around and around.

"Ah come on Whiplash wannabe, I'm busy observing this guy's cheesy romance writing…"

"WILSON!" Maverick ordered. "This is _**not **_the time for your insane ranting!"

Deadpool made an indignant huff and feigned offense: "I prefer to think of myself as unusually enlightened. I mean, I'm the only guy here who knows we're in a fan-fiction…"

Wolverine lunged at Deadpool as he spoke, bringing the full force of his adamantium claws down in an attempt to cut Deadpool to ribbons. Seeing him coming in time, Deadpool activated his teleporter and vanished.

"Ha! Got ya Wolvie! Man, I'm so glad the author gave me this doo-hickey. It makes life a heck of a lot easier…"

But as Deadpool was saying this, he failed to notice two white booted three-toed feet strike him hard in the face, sending him flying backwards. Rolling with the attack, Deadpool landed and stared down his opponent.

"Me and the blue elf eh? Alright. What the heck. Its better than getting stuck with Cyclops"

Nightcralwer vanished in a puff of red and black smoke. Not to be undone, Deadpool activated his teleporter once more and he too vanished. So began a fight that saw both opponents teleporting all over the entirety of the room, each one completely and utterly incapable of landing a hit on the other as they constantly vanished in thin air only to reappear moments later somewhere else and then vanish again. Thus the fight was an impasse.

"Just like in _Marvel Ultimate Alliance!" _Deadpool declared happily as he teleported again before adding: "Cool! Italics!"

Meanwhile, Angel watched as the snow haired beauty called down powerful gusts of wind after Cyclops blasted open several holes in the ceiling, followed swiftly by bolts of lightning directed at the various Weapon X members, forcing them to scatter.

"YOWZA!" Deadpool shouted as one lightning bolt narrowly missed him. "Little too close for comfort there. And how come _I _had to be singled out here? Why couldn't you let someone else almost get hit by a lightning bolt? Like Cyber?"

Ignoring Deadpool's ranting, Angel flew at a distracted Omega Red, ramming into him as hard as he could. The impact of his colliding with the villain managed to knock him back some, and before he could retaliate, he was slashed across the back by Wolverine's adamantium claws. Snarling, Omega Red spun around and swatted Wolverine away with one of his steel cables, only to be punched repeatedly by Angel. Omega Red rolled with the blows and then struck Angel across the side of the face with one of his cables, only to be frozen at that moment by Iceman.

"Thanks Bobby" Angel said. "I owe you one"

"Actually you owe me three. There was that time I saved your butt from Pyro and the other time when we fought the Hellfire Club…"

"Iceman look out!" Cyclops shouted as Maverick took aim at the young mutant. But before he could fire a sonic scream from Banshee sent him flying backwards.

"Keep your head in the game laddie" Banshee advised Iceman.

Iceman nodded and unleashed a small blizzard from his hands, blinding Cyber and forcing him back as Colossus charged into him with the speed, power, and force of a train. Cyber stood his ground and weathered the attack before grabbing Colossus with both hands and hurling him right over his head. Wolverine moved in at that moment to take his turn, slashing at Cyber's side with his adamantium claws.

"That little scratch won't keep me down Logan" Cyber growled.

"Bring it bub" Wolverine countered through gritted teeth.

As this happened, Angel continued to fly about the battlefield, the closed confines making it difficult for him to maneuver as well as he could, which in turn caused his effectiveness to sharply decrease. But he still found ways to be useful.

Swooping to grab Maverick he picked him up and then hurled the masked gunman before he could do a thing to stop him. "Bobby, freeze em'!"

Turning to see Maverick sailing through the air, Iceman nodded and unleashed a blinding blast of ice that froze Maverick solid. His ice-encased form clattered harmlessly to the floor.

"One human popsicle served!" Iceman quipped happily.

Looking around to see what else he could do, Angel saw Cyclops blast open several more holes in the roof, and from these a torrent of rain and hail fell out of dark storm clouds and right into the Weapon X forces, driving them back and leaving them vulnerable to the combined efforts of the two X-Men teams. Looking around for the source, Angel saw the same beautiful dark-skinned Mutant from before with her arms outstretched and eyes now two blank white orbs. Realizing that she was the cause, Angel quickly deduced what her Mutant power was.

_She can control the weather…_

"No duh bird brain!" Deadpool remarked as he continued his duel with Nightcrawler. "I mean, I would think that would be pretty obvious going by the evidence…"

But as Deadpool said this, he left himself open to an attack from Nightcrawler, who managed to kick him square in the chest, cracking the center of his teleporter device and knocking him back. As Deadpool forced himself back up, the teleporter began to give off sparks and crackle.

"Uh-oh. That doesn't look good…"

Next thing Deadpool knew he was blasted backwards by a small discharge of electricity, which also knocked him flat on his back.

"Ow! My Kidneys!" Deadpool whined.

"One of these days I will tear Wilson's tongue right out of his tiny head" Cyber snarled as he attempted to grab and throttle Wolverine, only for his smaller opponent to avoid him with ease. A sonic blast to the back courtesy of Banshee drew his attention to the Irishman, who flew out of the way of Cyber's retaliatory strikes.

"Storm, take Cyber down!" Cyclops ordered.

Seeing the fight, Storm nodded and directed her next bolt of lightning down at Cyber. The lightning struck his mechanical body and snaked through it with a brilliant flash and shower of sparks. Cyber howled in pain as all of his circuits were simultaneously fried before collapsing, now smoking but still breathing.

"Holy crap…" Angel had seen some fairly powerful mutants, such as the Professor, Magneto, and Wolverine. But Storm's downing the massive Cyber with a single summoned bolt of lightning threatened to top the list. Seeing Storm's command over the weather, Angel couldn't help but be reminded of the Avenger Thor, though with him he had never seen it so up close and personal. And to say the least, it was quite humbling.

Lady Deathstrike and Sabertooth the last to fall, engaging Wolverine in a deadly dance that saw them slash, cut, and skewer each other repeatedly before Telepath used her namesake to force Lady Deathstrike to yield. Sabertooth tried to kill Telepath while she was distracted but Colossus grabbed his arm before he could slash at her and then hurled him across the room where he slammed into the wall with force. Quickly getting back up, he was all set to run at the assembled X-Men before a high-powered optic blast to the face from Cyclops put him down.

No sooner had Cyclops subdue Sabertooth did he take to using his optic blasts to blow open an exit for the X-Men to escape through. As he was doing this, Angel found himself unable to keep his eyes off of Storm, who's beautiful face had become dispassionate and distant now that the battle was over. She almost seemed lost in another world, which if anything just seemed to draw Angel to her more, compelled to know what she was thinking. Really, he just felt the great desire to get to know her more.

Then he caught himself.

"_Settle down Warren" _he chastised. _"You of all people should know you can't rush these things. They take time. Just be patient and wait it out. See where it goes…"_

Angel nodded silently in regards to his more rational half winning out, but even so, he found himself greatly looking forward to getting to meet Storm for real back at the mansion…

-X-

Following the battle with the Weapon X forces, the now two X-Men teams returned to the Xavier Institute feeling suitably triumphant and pleased with themselves. The rescue mission by the newcomers led by Cyclops and Storm had been a complete success.

"I don't know about any of you" Iceman said, "but I'm glad to be home. I think this calls for a little celebrating"

"I second that" Angel agreed. "I could use some time to kick back and relax after being cooped up by those Weapon X bastards for so long"

"You all did great out there" Cyclops congratulated. "I'm looking forward to fighting with all of you in the future"

"I'm agreeing with the boss man for once" Wolverine said with a nod. "You all did great. Especially you Storm"

Storm nodded and smiled. "Thank you. I am glad I was able to help free your friends"

"Just stick with us lady" Iceman said happily. "You're all one of us now!"

"It's been a long time since I was part of a family" Storm replied with a smile. "Thank you"

"Alright, alright" Logan said interceding. "Let's not get all sappy."

"You know Logan, you should really try being happy some time" Scott said. "I swear it's not so bad"

"Watch it Boss-Man" Logan said. "Ya may be able to charm Jeanie with that dork stuff, but not me"

Storm turned to Warren, which made his heart race as he saw her face up close. "Do those two always bicker" she asked.

Warren smiled and nodded. "Pretty much, yeah. They're closer than you think, they just don't want anyone else to think that"

"I heard that Warren" Logan said.

"Oh shit"

-X-

As the assembled mutants all got settled, everyone took to doing their own thing. Nightcrawler and Bobby had hit it off almost immediately due to sharing a similar sense of humor and easygoing personality, Banshee took to charming Jean, and Logan as always, kept to himself. As for Colossus, Warren noted that he had taken to quietly working on a picture of some kind, which intrigued him.

"_So he's an artist…."_

Realizing that the one Mutant he couldn't find was the one he wanted to see the most, Warren went outside looking for Storm, and found her flying through the night sky by herself. Smiling at the sight of the attractive weather goddess being in his home turf, Warren extended his wings and took to the skies after her. It didn't take him long to catch up with her, and when she saw him, she smiled.

"Hello there. I'm sorry, I did not get your name before…"

"My name is Warren" the charismatic young Mutant replied with a smile. "Warren Worthington"

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Worthington" Storm said politely. "You may call me Ororo"

"Alright Ororo" Warren said before adding: "So anyway, what's a gorgeous angel like you doing up here?" Warren asked.

"I find it strange that you ask me that question when it is you who are called Angel and not I" Storm replied simply before adding: "I sometimes seek the comfort of the wind and the clouds"

"Ah. Well, that explains it then. Its…uh, its really nice to have someone to share the sky with" Warren said awkwardly. He kicked himself mentally. He was usually a lot smoother than this, especially when flirting with women, but Storm was different it seemed. She did something to him that caused him to lose his focus, and even more unsettling, he didn't seem to mind.

"Yes, I agree" she replied. "I have often felt lonely soaring through the air alone. Your companionship is most welcome"

"I'm glad you think so" Warren said, the relaxed and confident tone he had grown accustomed to using when talking to women finally managing to come back to him. Desperate to keep it going, he continued: "So what do you think of the X-Men so far? It must be different from what you're used to. I know it was for me…"

"It is a little unusual I admit, but I do not believe I shall have too much trouble adjusting…"

"That's good to know. I…I'd certainly like to see you stick around"

"I'm flattered that you so enjoy my company Mr. Worthington" Storm replied politely. "I must say I am enjoying yours more and more as well. Your friends seem to be similarly generous"

"I think that's because they, like me, see the possibilities."

"And what possibilities would those be?"

"You and me Storm" Warren said. "Together. Us making something together, something beautiful"

"…I am not sure I understand"

Warren smiled. She was so innocent, not unlike most of the other women he'd been with before. He liked that. There was a certain purity about Storm that Warren was pretty confident he wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. He didn't want to sully it.

"I think its something better explained through deeds rather than words. After all, actions speak louder than words…or so I've been told"

_Damn!_ He cursed in his head. _I just used a cliché. Smooth move Warren. But its not too late to salvage this…"_

But Ororo didn't seem to mind. "I agree, actions do carry more of an impact than mere words. But…what actions are you suggesting?"

"Well, I…"

But Warren never got to finish his sentence. Down below Cyclops shouted out to him and Ororo: "Warren! Ororo! We need to move! The Professor says Purifiers are attacking Mutants on the other side of town and we're the only ones who can get to them in time!"

"Purifiers?" Ororo asked.

"The Purifiers." Warren clarified as the X-Men raced to the Blackbird. "The worst of the worst. They believe we mutants are the spawn of the devil and that they're instruments of God, so they go around killing as many of us as they can find…even children"

"These men murder children?" Ororo asked horrified. Warren nodded. "Sometimes. In fact just as often as they do older mutants"

"What kind of god would condone something as barbaric as that?" Ororo asked disgusted. Warren shrugged in response. "No idea. Just that their idea of God tends to be a lot different than mine and most other peoples besides"

"I can see why" Ororo's normally serene voice had taken on an edge to it, and her disgust was very evident in both her tone and the scowl her pretty face had taken on. "If what you say is true, these men have more than earned what is to come"

"No arguments there" Warren agreed.

-X-

"Keep running Jenny!" the Mutant boy shouted to his sister. "They're getting closer!"

"I can't!" Jenny cried. "Help me! I'm too tired!"

"No one's here to save you monsters" one of the Purifiers spat. "We're sending you back to your master"

But as the Purifiers came close enough to their prey to take aim with their guns their attention was diverted by the arrival of the Blackbird, which spun around to confront the surprised Purifiers. Next thing they knew several bolts of lightning were called down on them, as well as a withering and merciless amount of hail and frozen rain.

"Scatter!" the Purifier captain roared. "The demons have called for help from more of their own!"

The Blackbird's ramp lowered as the Purifiers were retreating and out flew Wolverine, thrown at the Purifiers courtesy of Colossus. Claws extended, Wolverine dived into the group of Purifers, who's bullets did nothing to stop him as he tore into them with his adamantium claws. Angel was next down, swooping down on the Purifers and grabbing one. Soaring into the air with him, Angel spun around and then hurled the hapless Purifer back down to the ground before flying into another one and punching him as hard as he could. The other X-Men followed right behind, with Iceman, Colossus, and Cyclops making swift work of the group of Purifers. One tried to shoot Cyclops as he blasted another back, only to have his gun slashed to pieces by Wolverine's claws.

"Brave guy trying to kill kids." Wolverine growled. "Not so tough against the grown ups though huh bub?"

As the X-Men laid waste to the Purifier forces, Storm continued her punishing blizzard, which kept the Purifiers further disoriented as finally the last of them were taken out. Wolverine kicked one of the downed fanatics and spat on him.

"Scum"

With the Purifiers eliminated, Colossus destroyed the discarded weapons as Angel and Cyclops ensured that all of the Purifiers were in one place for the police to pick up. As this was happening the two mutant children the Purifiers had tried to kill stayed huddled in a corner, too terrified to speak or move. Only watch. Then Storm descended and, seeing the two terrified children, approached them with an extended hand.

"Come out. Its okay. Those men won't hurt you again. I promise. You're safe now"

The two children didn't move at first, still rooted in place by the traumatic experience of nearly being murdered in cold blood, but ever so slowly, one of them inched cautiously to Storm, who did not hesitate to hug her tightly to her.

"Its okay" she repeated. "You're safe now. We're here to protect you"

Watching this, Angel was left stunned at how Storm had gone from decimating the Purifier forces to now hugging a terrified child and assuring them that they were safe. The shift was jarring, but somehow, Angel didn't seem to mind. Instead he was impressed. The Weather Goddess was a beauty inside and out.

"_At the rate this is going" _Angel thought, _"I'm gonna fall in love with her in no time at all…and maybe I already have"_

**Author's Note: Hey boys and girls! Its me, Deadpool! Just thought I'd take over the author's notes today. So what'd you think of my appearance? Pretty cool huh? I mean, you at least gotta admit I'm cooler than Wolverine and Omega Whiplash right? Come on, at least admit I'm cooler than Wolverine!**

**Anyhoo, as you all may have noticed, this here fiction's shipping Angel and Storm. Odd choice right? Eh. Better than her and Black Panther I guess. But how on earth will miss purple-haired ninja react? Maybe she'll give the good ol' Merc with a Mouth a chance? I mean we're only sharing a video game really soon.**

**Now for those of you who missed some of the more obscure Marvel lore references, I'll be sure to help fill ya in!**

**Cyber, Omega Red, and Maverick are all X-Men villains that have been members of the shady group Weapon X, who we all know Wolverine got those shiny adamantium claws of his from! And the adamantium skeleton. Cyber's a nut who served with Wolverine in World War I and just really hates him for some reason (the dude killed his girlfriend and took out one of his eyes!). Omega Red is a Russian supervillain with whips (not Whiplash), and Maverick, also known as Agent Zero, is a cool dude who likes guns and can absorb and redirect energy. All in all a pretty rough bunch. **

**Banshee was a member of the X-Men for a time, and joined the same time such big names as Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Wolvie did. He's not quite as major as them, but he sure is a nice guy! You may have seen him in the movie X-Men First Class!**

**Anyways, be sure to leave reviews as always! Especially positive reviews! We all love positive reviews don't we?**

**Oh and, I'm gonna be in more chapters right? (…) WHAT? WHADDYA MEAN I PROBABLY WON'T BE IN MORE CHAPTERS?**


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